


First Comes Love

by ithilien22



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Closeted Alec, M/M, mundane AU, warning for non-platonic alec/lydia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-01
Updated: 2018-02-25
Packaged: 2018-08-18 22:34:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8178598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ithilien22/pseuds/ithilien22
Summary: Alec Lightwood and Lydia Branwell are getting married, and they've hired the infamous Magnus Bane to plan their wedding. Mundane!AU.





	1. .prologue

**Author's Note:**

> **Updated A/N** : Just to clarify, I tagged this fic as 'alec/lydia' and added an extra warning tag because I know some people don't want to read alec/women regardless of context and I want to respect that. However, two things about this story, 1) Alec is gay, 2) the only pairing presented romantically is Alec/Magnus. Not offended if it's still not your cup of tea, but just want to make that clear if people are trying to judge from tags alone.

Alec has had the ring for weeks now. He's gotten used to the slight weight of the box in his pocket, constantly carrying it around as if the perfect moment is suddenly going to present itself when he least expects it. At first he had told himself that's why he was hesitating, wanting to make sure the timing was right, but that's not what it is. Not really.

When Alec first started dating Lydia back in college, it was like everything suddenly clicked into place for him, like the universe was finally letting him have something good in his life for once. She'd been one of his best friends since high school, along with her high school sweetheart, Jon. But when Jon passed away during an army training exercise their freshman year - just after he and Lydia had gotten engaged - the tragedy had brought Lydia and Alec closer together. When they eventually started dating a little over a year later, it just seemed like the next step. It was a natural progression.

Lydia makes Alec's life so much _easier_. She's one of the smartest people Alec has ever met and he has no doubt she would have risen through the ranks at the State Department with or without the help of his mother's nepotism. She's a good listener and an even better partner and Alec knows she's going to make a great mom someday. She and Alec are just a good fit; they make sense together.

It's not just Alec that thinks so, either. Some days he almost feels like he can't tell who likes Lydia more - himself or his mother. Maryse positively dotes on Lydia, showing her the type of affection she rarely gives her own children, Alec included. Alec can't really bring himself to mind too much, though; it's been obvious from the beginning that his dating Lydia was ultimately what won him his family back.

After that first tentative family dinner when they'd told his parents they were dating, it was like his slate had been wiped clean with them. His mother had pulled him aside later in the evening and actually told him she was _proud_ of him. She hadn't said that to him - said anything of substance to him, really - since he was eighteen. Since before... well. Since _before_.

Alec knows he isn't in love with Lydia, not the way he's supposed to be. But he does love her, in his own way. He always has, and he knows she loves him too. That could be enough for them. It _is_ enough.

But the ring... marriage is just so final. They've been dating for three years and he knows it's time, but it's such a permanent decision. If Alec marries Lydia then this is it. He can't- there won't be anything else for him. Not that there is now - he's not the kind of person who would see someone else on the side - but there's always been this small, selfish part of him that held onto hope that one day things could be different, that Lydia could find someone else (someone to love her the way she deserves) and Alec could...

Alec could...

Alec frowns, cutting the introspection short; he feels selfish even thinking about it. To distract himself, he pulls the ring out of his pocket and twiddles the box absentmindedly between his fingers. He knows he should have given up on that idea a long time ago, especially after everything that happened to Jace because of him. Because of _that_. No good ever comes of it.

He halts his fidgeting and moves to open the box, staring down at the ring nestled inside. He's already made his choice, really. The ring is just a symbol, nothing more. There's really no reason for him to put it off any longer.

He shakes his head, grimacing. 'No reason to put it off any longer'? _How romantic._

He's so lost in his thoughts that he misses the sound of the key twisting in the lock and by the time he registers that Lydia is home early, it's already too late. Their apartment is, like most DC apartments, basically a shoe box, all one big room except for the bed and bath. So even though Lydia has barely made it through the door, she still has a perfect view of Alec where he's seated on the couch. She has a perfect view of the ring.

She stands frozen in the entryway for several long moments. She looks at Alec and he looks back at her. They both look at the ring.

Alec steels himself. _Well, no time like the present._


	2. part one.

Magnus is not having the best day so far. He'd stayed out too late at a new venue opening last night and hadn't remembered to charge his phone, therefore missing his alarm. Now, not only is he running late into work, but he has two new client meetings lined up for today that he hasn't had a chance to prepare for at all. At the moment, he's having trouble even recalling so much as their names, let alone the details of the projects.

Thankfully, Clary meets him at the door to the office with a latte in one hand and the file for his first consultation in the other. Magnus could kiss her, he's so grateful. So he does.

"You're a sexual harassment lawsuit just waiting to happen," Clary tells him, but her smile is fond, if a little exasperated. "Now hurry up, Mr. and soon-to-be-Mrs. Lightwood are already waiting in your office."

"Thanks, biscuit!" he says, taking a long pull from the latte as he starts toward his office. "You're a life saver."

"Yeah, yeah. Say it with a raise!" she calls after him.

Magnus makes a cursory glance at the top sheet in the file before he steps into the room; it's not ideal, but he's had to work off of less before. _Alexander Lightwood and Lydia Branwell_ , his notes tell him, _young politicos, old money, wedding consult._

"Lydia, Alexander," he greets them warmly, before he's even fully looked up from the file. "I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting, I had another meeting run a little long."

When he does look up, it's into the gorgeous hazel eyes of a scowling but stunningly attractive man who looks like he'd rather be anywhere else. Next to him is a very pretty blonde woman, her long hair braided elegantly down her back.

The first thing Magnus notices is that they don't seem to match the description that his hastily scribbled notes implied. They're dressed much more casually, for one - professional yes, but certainly not high fashion. The bride is wearing sneakers under her tasteful pantsuit and the groom has a large, out-of-place tattoo peeking out from the collar of his jacket.

But despite not quite looking the part, there is still something about their demeanor that says 'high society'. They both stand unnervingly straight and tall, shoulders back and chins high. It almost makes Magnus want to square his own shoulders just to let them know he's not intimidated.

"Not at all," the woman - Lydia - replies kindly, pulling Magnus back from his reverie, "We only just arrived."

Magnus leans forward to greet her with a kiss to the cheek, then reaches out to shake hands with her broodingly handsome fiance, who looks somewhat stunned as he takes in Magnus's appearance.

 _Maybe it's the hair_ , Magnus muses. Given his tardiness this morning, his hair is still currently streaked light blue to match the outfit he had worn to the event last night. And while he may not have typically chosen it for an initial consult, it's still a good look for him, if he does say so himself; blue is truly Magnus's color.

He gestures at the couple to sit and then moves behind his own (strategically) disorganized desk to do the same. Something about these two feels different than his usual bridal couple; for one thing, Lydia hasn't proceeded to jump in with a 'picture this!' and a monologue about her dream wedding yet. In fact, she hasn't even moved to pull out her idea binder. Magnus narrows his eyes slightly. _No_ , he thinks, _Lydia doesn't_ have _an idea binder._

Normally, that thought alone would be enough to make him love her on sight, but for some reason it just makes him more nervous instead. He wishes he had had time to prepare properly. Still, he knows he can do this. He's Magnus Bane, after all.

"So," he starts brightly, smiling in an encouraging way, "tell me about yourselves."

"Well, we work for the State Department," Lydia supplies, after a glance is shared between the couple. "But I can't really say too much more on that subject. It's classified."

From anyone else, Magnus thinks that would sound like such a terrible line, but Lydia leans forward slightly and says it with a sort of half-smile, like it's a joke that she and Magnus are in on together. It works; between that and the lack of idea binder, he likes her already.

"So a bit of an office romance then, I take it?" he asks.

"We work in different departments," the groom - Alexander - tells him, with a slight eye roll that Magnus thinks is hardly warranted. Lydia shoots her fiance a look and the corners of his mouth tilt up in apology.

"We've known each other since we were kids," Lydia offers, turning back to Magnus. "Well, since high school, at least. But we started dating in college."

Alexander scans the room as Lydia speaks, seemingly disinterested in the conversation. Magnus starts to wonder if scowling is just his default expression.

"And what was it that made you fall in love with Lydia, Alexander?" he asks, deciding to go the more direct route to try to draw him in. Besides that, he finds himself honestly curious.

Alexander seems to startle at being addressed directly.

"It's Alec," he says after a moment, "and isn't that kind of personal?"

"Exactly," Magnus replies easily. "Your wedding should be a reflection of yourselves, both individually and as a couple. But I suppose if you really want impersonal, there's always City Hall."

Lydia reaches out and places a hand on Alexander's - Alec's - forearm and another silent conversation seems to pass between them.

"How about I go first?" Lydia offers.

The longer Magnus sits with them, the more strange it seems somehow. If someone had asked him to guess their relationship by appearance alone, he thinks he might have said 'siblings'. There's an easy intimacy between them - as evidenced by their continual wordless conversations - that only comes from a long line of common experiences. But's it's not a connection that says 'lover' to Magnus; there's no _spark_ to it.

Definitely odd.

"Alec is my best friend," Lydia says, smiling at the man in question and earning a seemingly rare, though small, smile from him in return. "When we were in college I..."

She trails off, her smile slipping a bit, and Alec squeezes her hand where it still rests on his forearm.

"I... lost someone," Lydia admits softly, looking back up at Magnus. "It was... I didn't know if I would ever be okay again. But Alec saved my life. He's the best person I know."

Magnus feels a deep sympathy settle in his chest as Lydia speaks. He is unfortunately all too familiar with that particular pain. But he still has a hard time reconciling the savior of her story with the man currently sitting in front of him, looking deeply uncomfortable.

"Ugh, listen to me," Lydia groans, breaking some of the heaviness that had begun to settle in the room. "Here I am about to cry while giving you my life story, when you were probably just looking for some sort of cute shared interest you could incorporate into our theme."

Magnus laughs, and Lydia smiles back at him in that same conspiratorial way. He really likes this girl. Even if her moody fiance clearly doesn't deserve her.

As if on cue, Alec's phone vibrates in his pocket and he grimaces as he reads the message on the small screen.

"Herondale," he tells Lydia, as if that means something. Except it must, because Lydia nods almost sympathetically.

"Go," she tells him. "I can finish up with Magnus."

Alec glances over at him when Lydia speaks his name and his frown seems to deepen, if that's even possible. He hesitates.

"It's fine," Lydia insists. "I wanted to make sure we both had a chance to meet him before we made a decision, but this is clearly going to work out -" she gives Magnus an encouraging smile that he doesn't hesitate to return - "so we'll have plenty other chances for you two to get to know each other."

Magnus thinks she may be a bit presumptive in assuming that she and Alec are _both_ on board with hiring him, but then again, maybe she's only saying that to be placating. He's seen enough couples come through his office to know that when there's a bride involved, the groom doesn't often have much of a say in the proceedings.

Besides, Alec does sort of strike him as the 'yes dear' type.

"Okay," Alec agrees finally (which isn't exactly a 'yes dear' but close enough), and he shoots another furtive glance at Magnus before pressing a quick kiss to Lydia's cheek and making his exit.

When the door closes behind him, Lydia sighs and offers Magnus a slightly exasperated smile.

"He takes a bit to warm up to people," she says. "It's not you, I promise."

"Well, that's a relief," Magnus admits. "I was starting to develop a complex."

Lydia laughs.

"Can I just say- ? I really didn't know what to expect from you," she tells him. "I've seen some of your work - I was at the gala last month at the Renwick Gallery? - and everything you do is so gorgeous and tasteful, but I sort of pictured you as like a... pompous hipster type?"

She winces slightly at her own admission but Magnus laughs.

"Am I to take it you're pleasantly surprised then?"

"Oh definitely," Lydia agrees instantly. "I already know that Alec's mother is going to pick apart everything in this wedding, and it makes me feel so much better to know I'll have at least one ally."

Now it's Magnus's turn to wince in sympathy.

"Ah, so there's an overbearing mother-in-law in play?"

"You have no idea," Lydia confesses. Then, seeming to realize she's still speaking to a practical stranger, she backpedals slightly. "Don't get me wrong, I like the Colonel, of course! She just has very... definite ideas about how things should be. Especially when it comes to Alec."

 _The Colonel?_ Magnus files that away for future research.

"Say no more, my dear. I completely understand," he tells Lydia and she relaxes again.

Magnus stands from the desk and moves to one of the bookcases lining the walls of his office, debating for several moments before selecting a couple of the color-coded binders lining the shelves. He brings them over to Lydia.

"Your homework is to look through these with Alexander and mark anything that jumps out at you," he tells her as he hands her the materials. "Don't think about what goes together or worry about marking lots of the same thing. Just anything that speaks to you. Try to do one color for yourself, one for Alexander, and one for things you both liked."

The smile Lydia gives him as she takes the binders is a bit rueful.

"I'll just warn you now, there will only be two colors," she says with a bit of a laugh. "Alec isn't going to mark anything unless he already knows I like it."

Magnus is yet again struck by what a perplexing dynamic this couple seems to have. Lydia's teasing words don't say to him, 'Alec doesn't care about wedding stuff,' the way they might coming from the mouth of another bride. Instead, Magnus hears, "Alec only cares that I'm happy.'

"Well, he's with you, my dear, so he clearly has good taste hidden somewhere under all that black," Magnus jokes back, as he leads Lydia towards the door, not letting his true musings show through.

"I meant what I said before, Magnus," Lydia says, pausing in the doorway. "He'll warm up to you. He's a really great guy."

Magnus smiles and lets himself nod slightly in presumed agreement, kissing Lydia's cheek again in parting.

But when she leaves his office, his smile falls a bit. Lydia he likes just fine, but her finance? Well, Magnus remains to be convinced.


	3. .interlude (coffee break)

Alec slouches into the coffee shop near eleven, hoping to get in and out and back to work without getting stopped by one of his chatty coworkers. Considering the coffee shop in question resides within their office building though, that's often easier said than done.

Sure enough, he's just grabbed his latte from the counter when he hears his name called from the tables behind him.

"Alec, hey!"

Fortunately, when he turns around he finds that it's actually his sister Isabelle gesturing at him from a nearby table. He would still rather head back upstairs to his office, but he'll take Izzy over Karen from Public Affairs any day.

He makes his way over to her table and takes the seat across from her.

"Hey Izzy," he greets her. "No Simon today?"

Izzy's husband Simon doesn't work with them at State, but he does have an office nearby and often comes to meet Izzy whenever she has a break. They're one of those couples that always seems to be together 24/7. Alec likes Simon well enough, but it's a little nauseating to be honest.

"He had that meeting with the DuMort group," she says to explain Simon's absence, waving her hand in a vaguely dismissive gesture, before switching gears and leaning in excitedly. "So come on, tell me, how was the wedding planner yesterday?"

Alec grimaces, remembering the handsome, blue-haired man who'd so easily charmed Lydia. As soon as he saw Magnus, he had been determined to find someone else, _anyone_ else, but that plan went out the window almost as soon as it came. Lydia was already in love; she couldn't stop talking about him.

"It was fine," Alec tells his sister. "Lydia likes him."

"But you don't," Izzy replies, managing to make it sound less like a question and more like a statement. He sometimes hates how well she can read him.

"It was fine," Alec repeats, rolling his eyes slightly. "It's... you know, weddings and stuff. It's not my thing."

Izzy frowns at him.

"You should be at least a little excited. You're getting married, Alec!"

Alec forces a tired smile, trying to reassure her.

"I am," he says, laughing a bit when Izzy's frown turns into a pout. "Of course I am, Iz. It's just, you know. I- you know how mom gets about this stuff, she's just going to change everything anyway."

Izzy sighs sympathetically.

"Well, at least promise me you won't let her bully you into changing the guest list?" she says. "It's your wedding Alec, you should be able to invite whoever you want."

"You mean Luke," Alec responds knowingly.

"Yes, Luke," Izzy agrees, "and whoever else our mother has decided she doesn't like for no discernible reason - Alaric, Rafael... Jace."

Alec stiffens at the mention of Jace's name, the genuine smile his sister had managed to worm out of him dropping completely.

"Why would you even- ? I'm not inviting Jace, Isabelle," he grits out firmly.

"It's just... I talked to him the other day, Alec. He misses you," she tells him, and Alec feels like he's been punched in the gut. "He doesn't understand why you won't talk to him yourself."

"I think I've done enough damage there, Iz. Don't you?" he mutters lowly, stealing a furtive glance around the cafe.

Thinking about Jace causes a knot of regret and self-loathing to form in Alec's stomach, just like it always does. He had blocked Jace's number years ago, but he must have gotten a new one recently, because Alec got several seconds into a voicemail from an unknown number just last week, only to realize it was Jace. Hearing his voice unexpectedly after all this time had brought up a whole new wave of guilt.

"Oh, Alec," Izzy sighs sadly. "I just want you to be happy. You're never happy anymore."

"I am," Alec scoffs, forcing down the rising panic. "We were just talking about my wedding, two seconds ago."

"I love Lydia, you know I do," Izzy tells him, her expression still somber. "But she would understand, if you-"

"I asked her to marry me," Alec cuts her off, his voice firm, "because that's what I _want_. This is my decision, Izzy."

Izzy reaches out and cups his cheek softly, just for a moment before letting her hand fall back down.

"Okay big brother," she says, sitting back in her chair slightly. "You know I'll always support you."

Alec smiles at her, grateful that she's letting it drop. Some of the tension in his body loosens slightly.

"Thank you."

"So, what's wrong with the wedding planner?" Izzy presses.

Alec sighs; still, at least it's a more welcome topic than the last.

"Nothing, Iz. I told you, it was fine. He was just a little... much," Alec settles on.

Izzy raises an eyebrow. Alec shrugs slightly and adds, "his hair was blue."

_He was ridiculously attractive_ , Alec doesn't say.

"I swear, you are such an old man sometimes," Izzy says, shaking her head fondly.

Alec shrugs again, but doesn't try to argue with her assessment.

"On the bright side," he says, smiling slightly as the realization hits him, "if I don't like him, that just means our mother will _hate_ him."

Izzy laughs overly loud in her surprise and Alec can't help grinning back at her.

"This wedding is going to be fun," she declares, eyes still twinkling with mirth.

And in that moment, Alec almost believes her.


	4. part two.

Magnus taps his foot impatiently as he waits for his client to arrive. It's not fair of him, really - she's hardly even late yet - but he'd had to deal with Camille directly to set up this appointment, so he's not in the best mood. He takes a deep breath and tries to remind himself that he actually _likes_ Lydia.

Except it's not Lydia who eventually comes slouching in through the lobby doors of the Mellon Auditorium looking both out of place and slightly out of breath - it's her brooding fiance instead. Magnus fights the urge to groan.

"Alexander," he manages to greet the man with at least faux warmth. "So nice of you to finally join me."

"Sorry I'm late," Alec says, looking genuinely contrite. "Lydia got held up at work but was really hoping she could still make it up until the last second, so."

"So it's the B team today, I gather?" Magnus supplies. His words are still a bit more pointed than strictly necessary, but he feels his smile becoming a little more genuine despite his efforts to stay cool and aloof.

Alec chuckles slightly and the sound catches Magnus off guard.

"Yeah basically," Alec agrees. He rubs at the back of his neck in a surprisingly endearing gesture of self-consciousness. "So, sorry in advance if I'm not uh... very good at this stuff."

Magnus briefly considers that he may need to reassess his initial evaluation of Alexander. In their first meeting he had seemed arrogant and disinterested. But today - late and flustered and without his fiance to do all the talking for him - he seems almost... _sweet_.

"Well, you'll hardly be the most ill-equipped groom I've ever dealt with, trust me," Magnus assures him, letting the last of his annoyance melt away. "Shall we?"

Alec nods and the two of them make their way into the great hall, still richly dressed from an event hosted the previous evening.

"For this type of venue we would be looking at upwards of $20,000 just for the space alone," Magnus explains as they continue to stroll, "but it can hold up to 1,000 guests for both the reception and the ceremony itself."

Alec doesn't even blink at the exorbitant price tag, but he seems to be eyeing the room with an almost bewildered look.

"Not to your tastes?" Magnus guesses.

"I- I don't know," Alec answers hesitantly. "It's- the, the columns, they're- it's all a bit much, isn't it?"

"A little ostentatious, perhaps," Magnus agrees. "But that can always be offset - at least somewhat - with how we choose to decorate the space."

Alec nods along as Magnus speaks but he continues to look dubious.

"I can cross it off the list if you don't like it," Magnus assures him, trying to push down the disappointment he feels. He had been so sure this was the right venue, and now he owes Camille a favor for nothing.

"No, no, I- show me the rest," Alec says, tearing his eyes away from the colossal roman column nearest him. "I mean, please. I don't want to make a rash decision."

"Very well," Magnus smiles, and moves to resume their tour.

After twenty minutes or so, they find themselves circling back towards the lobby - a little quicker than Magnus had anticipated. Typically, brides have questions, or want to stop and take pictures, but Alec doesn't seem to know what to do with himself. He simply nods along at Magnus's logistical information and historical facts about the building. He doesn't even write anything down or take any photos, even after Magnus's gentle prompting, stuttering out an awkward explanation that his phone is too low on memory at the moment.

On the bright side, now that Magnus has started to warm up to Alec he suddenly finds it much easier to notice (and appreciate) how attractive the other man is, and Magnus indulges himself a little with admiring Alec's physique when he is busy taking in the various amenities of the venue.

When Alec catches him at it as he walks ahead of Magnus back towards the lobby, Magnus just smirks in response to his raised brow.

"Just admiring the view, darling," he says with a wink. "Lydia is a very lucky woman."

The tips of Alec's ears go pink and he sputters a bit.

"I- you. That's-" he coughs and looks down towards his own elbow. "thanks, I guess?"

"Oh, the pleasure's all mine, Alexander," Magnus assures him, enjoying the teasing a bit more than he probably should. But he finds that Alec blushes very prettily.

When Alec just continues to stare at the floor, suddenly very interested in his shoes, Magnus relents.

"I'm only teasing, Alec, relax," he says, laughter in his tone. He grasps Alec's arm and gently steers him back in the direction of the lobby.

He had arranged for Clary to meet them with additional information after the tour, but they're still a good ten minutes early by the time they circle back to the lobby. Alec begins fidgeting with his phone, seeming to check the time every few moments without actually registering it.

Magnus starts to feel a little bad about teasing him. Alec seems genuinely uncomfortable now, but not in the hostile way that straight men sometimes are with him when his harmless flirting is a bit to bold for their fragile masculinity to bear. Instead, Alec almost seems to be shrinking into himself.

"Well," Magnus says, stepping back slightly from Alec and slipping back into his professional demeanor to try to ease some of the tension from the room, "Clary will be meeting us shortly with some information packets for you to take home. Unfortunately, you won't have long to decide - I'll need an answer first thing tomorrow. Ideally, later tonight if you can."

"Later tonight?" Alec repeats, finally looking back up at him in surprise. "I don't-"

He seems to catch himself fidgeting and shoves both hands in his pockets.

"Sorry," he says. "I told you I wasn't any good at this stuff. How am I supposed to make this kind of decision on my own if Lydia can't come see it tonight?"

"Is there anyone else who could come by this evening to provide a second opinion?" Magnus offers gently. "Lydia mentioned that your mother has... well-defined opinions. Perhaps she-"

"No, that's not a good idea. I-" Alec starts to cut him off, then smiles sheepishly. "Sorry. My mother is just. She won't like anything we choose, so there's really no point in asking her."

Magnus hums slightly, intrigued but trying not to press. He's done his own research on Colonel Lightwood - _Deputy Secretary of State_ Colonel Lightwood, that is - and she certainly seems a formidable woman.

"Is she... not a fan of the match?" He asks delicately, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Alec chuckles slightly, but it's somehow not a humorous sound.

"No, she loves Lydia, trust me. She likes her more than- uh." Alec stops himself again, shrugging slightly. "She just- that's just how she is."

"I see," Magnus replies, biting his tongue on the millions of follow up questions he wants to ask.

The silence stretches out a bit and Magnus resists the urge to check the time or frantically text Clary.

"Can I ask you something?" he says instead, causing Alec's brow to wrinkle slightly.

"Uh, sure?"

"The tattoo," Magnus says, gesturing at the large black mark once again peeking out from the collar of Alec's jacket.

Alec smiles again, though somewhat nervously. "Was that a question?"

"I'm just wondering if there's a story there," Magnus returns his smile, accidentally letting a hint of flirtation slip back into his tone. "I have to admit it's growing on me."

Alec's hand comes up to his neck in the same self-conscious gesture he'd displayed earlier and the once slowly receding blush starts to return to his cheeks.

"It's stupid," he mutters, then sighs, explaining, "I got them when I was in high school."

"I have a couple more, actually," he admits. "My.... uh. My best friend at the time got really into mythology? A-about this ancient race of warriors who, uh... fought demons."

He laughs again, embarrassed.

"Like I said, stupid," he continues. "But uh. They had these tattoos - runes, Jace always said - that um, that gave them enhanced combat abilities. They each had a specific function in battle, like agility or speed or well- So that's... yeah. It's pretty lame."

Magnus finds himself smiling at the story. He actually thinks it's rather endearing.

"And that one?" He asks, gesturing once again at Alec's neck.

"What?"

"Which rune is that?"

"Oh," Alec says, his blush becoming a bit more pronounced. "It's uh, _deflection_."

"How appropriate," Magnus murmurs without thinking, then starts when he realizes he's spoken aloud. "I mean-"

He's saved by the sudden appearance of Clary, pulling in a gust of chill evening air with her and effectively jolting them both out of the moment.

"Magnus, Mr. Lightwood," she greets them. "Finished with the tour already?"

"I believe so," Magnus tells her. "Unless you had any additional questions Alexander?"

"Um, no, I- I don't think so," Alec stutters out, rubbing at the back of his neck before dropping his hands back to his pockets again.

"Well, here's some additional information to review," Clary says, handing over the binder she's carrying, "and I'm sure Magnus told you, but we really need a quick decision on this one. Magnus had to pull some serious strings to even get you in here today."

Magnus shoots her a look but she ignores him. Alec's eyes widen slightly in surprise but he just nods back at Clary.

"Of course, yeah. I uh. I just need to talk to Lydia, but we'll try to give you a call later tonight," he promises.

"Great," Clary replies, smiling back at him as he makes his way past her towards the door.

Alec turns back with his hand on the doorknob.

"Thanks Magnus," he says without quite meeting Magnus's eye, before disappearing into the bustling street outside.

Magnus stares after him for several moments, a complicated mix of emotions surging through him. Granted, he's only met the man twice now, has only spoken to him briefly but, well. If he weren't in the middle of planning Alec's wedding to a woman, he might have thought...

Magnus shakes his head slightly, as if trying to dislodge the thought before he can complete it. There's nothing good to be found down that road.

"Oh no," Clary says, drawing him out of his thoughts. "That's never a good look."

"What?" He retorts, feigning innocence.

"Don't give me that," she says. "He's getting _married_ , Magnus."

"I'm aware," Magnus tells her, turning away to collect his things.

"I know that look," she insists.

"I-" Magnus stops himself with a sigh and turns back around to face her.

"Okay, I may have flirted with him a little - it was harmless!" he protests when her frown deepens. "Well, it was meant to be harmless. But the way he reacted... I don't know, Clary. There's just something about him."

"Married," Clary repeats pointedly. "The thing about him is that he's getting married. Okay? You need to stop whatever it is your thinking right now."

Magnus sniffs, starting to become genuinely offended.

"Do you really take me for some kind of shameless homewrecker?" He asks. "What, suddenly I'm Jennifer Lopez in the Wedding Planner?"

Clary's expression softens.

"I'm not worried about him, idiot, I'm worried about you," she says. She bends to help him gather the rest of his things as if in apology.

"Just, promise me you'll be careful?" she asks as she hands him the bag she's holding.

Magnus can still hear Alec's embarrassed laugh echoing in his head.

"I promise," he tells Clary solemnly, raising his right hand for effect. Clary rolls her eyes and pushes against his shoulder, and he grins back at her. By the time they make it back to the office, it seems all but forgotten.

But it isn't - at least for Magnus. Days later, Alec's strange behavior - along with Clary's worried eyes and solemn warning - still occupies his thoughts.

He thinks of his promise to Clary and wonders which of them he was actually trying to convince.


	5. .interlude (family dinner)

Lydia finishes securing the clasp on her only piece of 'fancy' jewelry - a string of pearls given to her as a birthday gift by Maryse - and smiles past her own reflection to the image of Alec sprawled out dramatically face down on their bed, only half-dressed for dinner.

"You act like we're going off to war," she chides him, trying and failing to sound stern. "Stop being such a baby. Izzy and Simon will be there. And Max."

"Let's tell them we're sick," he mumbles into the mattress, still not moving to get up and finish getting dressed.

"You know your mother literally just saw me at the office not two hours ago, right?" She asks, eyebrow raised skeptically.

"Okay, fine," Alec responds, finally sitting up and turning to face her. "You can go and I'll be sick."

Lydia rolls her eyes and tosses a nearby pillow at her fiance.

"They're _your_ family," she reminds him. "If I have to deal with them, then so do you."

Alec continues to grumble petulantly, but he does finally roll out of the bed and move to continue getting dressed.

"You know it's going to be a night-long game of twenty questions about the wedding, right?" he asks her after a few minutes, working to do up his tie.

"Won't that be better, though?" Lydia asks honestly.

She's been thinking about it on and off all day - as she always does when it's time again for their monthly Lightwood family dinner - and she's come to the conclusion that having the wedding to talk about might actually make the evening go a bit smoother for once. Anything has to be better than staring at one another for three hours while intermittently talking shop or listening to Simon tell increasing awkward jokes to fill the silence.

Alec sighs, still fiddling with his tie.

"I don't know. Maybe."

Lydia takes pity on him and moves to undo the shabby knot he's done and retie it herself.

"I'll tell you what," she says. "If Maryse pulls anything, I'll pretend the food didn't agree with me and we can leave early."

"Agreed," Alec replies, already visibly relaxing.

He leans down for a quick kiss to thank her for the tie, and Lydia smiles back at him. She grabs both of their coats before playfully shoving him towards the door.

It turns out that both of them are right, in a way; it's no better or worse than any other dinner at the Lightwood estate. The person who ends up asking the most questions about the wedding is Isabelle, whose enthusiasm is actually rather infectious, and soon even Max is piping up with ideas.

("What? Everyone loves a chocolate fountain. Come on, Simon agrees with me!")

Maryse, for the most part, just looks on disapprovingly. Although, to be fair, that's generally her default expression.

They make it all the way to the dessert course without incident and Lydia starts to believe they may actually make it through the evening relatively unscathed.

In retrospect, she thinks that was probably her mistake.

It's Simon that does it, though of course he doesn't mean to. He's talking about the next gig his band is playing and trying to cajole Alec and Lydia into coming. Alec's already declined on their behalf, saying they have plans. They don't of course, but Lydia doesn't contradict him.

"This is the big one, man, I'm telling you!" Simon insists. "Everyone's gonna be there. Oh, even Jace! Yeah, I talked to him last night and his flight gets in the night before so he said he wouldn't miss it."

Lydia watches as Alec's face pales and Maryse's stony expression hardens almost simultaneously. She sees Isabelle furtively kicking her husband under the table, but it's too late now.

"Jace Wayland?" Robert asks, putting down the paper he'd been reading in lieu of interacting with any of them all evening. _Of course he picks this moment to rejoin the conversation_ , Lydia thinks, stomach dropping. "How is he? I don't think I've seen him since Michael was transferred to the California office. How long ago was that now?"

He's looking at Maryse for confirmation, and Lydia finds herself wondering how he can still be so inept at reading his wife's expression after thirty plus years of marriage. Everyone at the table seems to be holding their breath.

"It was about five years ago, dad," Isabelle says, when it becomes clear no one else is going to answer. "We were still in school."

"Ah, that's right," Robert says, going right back to his paper now that his curiosity has been satisfied.

A chilly silence settles over the rest of the table. Lydia tries to catch Alec's eye, but he's staring resolutely at his untouched creme brulee.

"Uh, I. The thing that's actually cool about this gig is that it's in this ol-" Simon starts to babble into the silence, before being abruptly cut off by Maryse.

"I didn't realize you were still friends with the Wayland boy," she says. She doesn't say his name, but it's still clear that her question is directed toward Alec.

"I'm not," he responds without looking up. Maryse's eyes narrow and danger sirens start to go off in Lydia's head.

"Oh wow," she says, loudly enough to startle the rest of the table into looking up at her, "I'm not, oh! I'm really not feeling well."

The look Alec gives her is filled with so much gratitude it almost hurts her heart to see it.

"Alec, honey, I'm so sorry, but I think I need to go home?"

Alec nods, already standing. Maryse moves to stand as well, lips pursed in distaste.

"I'm sorry to cut the evening short," Lydia tells her scowling hostess, trying to look as genuinely contrite as she can manage. "Dinner was lovely as always, Maryse. Good to see you all."

Alec ushers her out without pausing to give any regrets of his own, but when they finally make it out to the town car that's waiting outside to drive them home, Alec tells the driver to give them a minute.

As soon as the partition goes up, Alec's head slumps onto her shoulder.

"Thank you," he says softly. Lydia lifts her hand to gently cup his cheek, letting her eyes close for a moment.

 _I hate her_ , she thinks, more vehemently than she expects.

Then, guiltily, _I don't want to spend the rest of my life at that table._

She knows she shouldn't feel guilty. She doesn't deserve to have to brace for a fight every time they sit down for dinner, but neither does Alec. Maybe that's what marriage is, really - promising to walk into any battle side by side. She remembers joking to Alec earlier in the evening that they weren't going to war. _Wishful thinking_ , she supposes now.

But the other part of it - the _Jace_ part - is starting to wear on her too. On the rare occasions that Jace's name is brought up, she always wonders if she should finally ask. They had all been friends back then - her, Jon, Jace, and Alec. She thinks she's pieced together what must have happened, but she doesn't know for sure. One day Jace was there, sneaking her out of fourth period just so they could get matinee prices on a movie she had been dying to see. The next day, he was just gone. He was gone, and so was Alec. At least, the snarky, sweet, always laughing Alec she had known back then.

"Alec-" she starts tentatively, but almost immediately decides against it. Instead she murmurs, "let's get out of here." 

She presses a gentle kiss to his forehead before knocking softly on the partition to signal the driver to take them home.


	6. part three.

This is Alec's favorite part of the wedding planning so far, hands down. He doesn't know how Magnus heard about this bakery, or what kind of illicit ingredients they put into their frosting to make it taste so good, but every single cake he tries is somehow better than the last.

When Lydia takes a bite of the red velvet he had just sampled himself, her eyes actually roll back and the small sound that escapes her lips is so indecent Alec wants to feel embarrassed for her, but he knows he's not doing much better.

"Careful darling," Magnus cautions her, eyes sparkling with amusement. "I think we're about one more bite away from reenacting the 'I'll have what she's having' scene from When Harry Met Sally."

"I'm sorry, but this is the best cake I've ever had," Lydia replies. She's smiling, but Alec catches the hint of color high on her cheeks. "I can't believe I didn't know this place existed."

Magnus starts to respond, but Lydia's phone rings and she holds up a hand apologetically as she pulls it out to scan the caller ID.

"I'm so sorry, this is work," she tells them, squeezing Alec's shoulder gently as she rises from the table. "I have to take it."

Alec nods and earns a small smile in return, before Lydia is vanishing out the back door to the relative privacy of the alley outside. Alec knows that 'work' actually means his mother - he'd seen the number flash on the screen before Lydia answered - and he can't help the small bubble of anger he feels rising in his chest. It's a Sunday. Maryse knows they have wedding plans today.

He's jolted out of that unpleasant line of thinking when Magnus apparently decides to swap chairs, settling down gracefully in the one Lydia had just abandoned. He eyes the unfinished red velvet with mock concern.

"It seems a shame for this to go to waste," he says, picking up one of the extra tasting forks. Alec laughs, already starting to forget his mother and the phone call.

"Lydia's going to kill you if you eat that," Alec warns, "and not that I'm admitting I've watched her kill a man before - mostly because that's classified - but I doubt they would ever find your body."

Magnus pauses with the fork halfway to the pastry, seeming to consider Alec's teasing words. Then he shrugs and digs the fork in anyway.

If Alec thought Lydia had been indecent tasting the red velvet, it's nothing compared to Magnus. He closes his eyes as soon as the cake touches his lips, his face the picture of pure bliss. Alec watches his adam's apple bob as he swallows the bite.

"Worth it," Magnus sighs happily, opening his eyes again. Alec quickly tries to school his expression into something passive, but he has no idea if he's successful. 

He thought he had been doing better these last few weeks in ignoring the tiny... whatever he was feeling for Magnus. Except now he's clearly being tested, because watching Magnus eat the last few bites of cake is almost pornographic. Alec shifts uncomfortably and tries to think of something, _anything_ else.

It's hard to redirect his thoughts when his gaze keeps getting drawn back to Magnus's mouth by a tiny bit of frosting still clinging to his upper lip, though. So without thinking it through (or even thinking at all), Alec reaches up and swipes at the offending frosting with his thumb.

To call the look on Magnus's face 'surprised' would be putting it mildly. Alec immediately shrinks back, feeling like he could die of embarrassment.

"You uh, there was frosting-" he tries to explain feebly. 

"Ah," Magnus replies, setting his fork down gingerly. Alec follows the movement to avoid looking at Magnus's face. He's sure his own must be beet red. 

"Well, thank you," Magnus says, his voice edging towards playful even though the awkwardness still clings to the air around them. "I'd hate to be wearing the evidence of my theft when your beautiful fiancé rejoins us."

Alec doesn't think he's imagining the extra emphasis Magnus puts on the word fiancé. He's never been so mortified in his life.

"Yeah, that's. Yeah," Alec responds lamely. He glances towards the back door, hoping to see Lydia stepping back through it, but it doesn't open. 

Magnus clears his throat delicately, and Alec reluctantly turns back towards him.

"So... Lydia was saying before she left that you'd chosen your sister and her husband to be the best man and matron of honor?" he asks. It's a wildly obvious subject change, but Alec grasps at it gratefully.

"Yeah," he says, smiling slightly as he thinks of the way Izzy's face had lit up. "We asked them last night actually."

Magnus regards him curiously.

"I don't mean to be indelicate," he says after a moment, "but I had the impression you weren't overly fond of your sister's husband?"

Alec doesn't blame Magnus for asking. Honestly, he doesn't know that anyone had been more surprised than Simon himself. But Alec had panicked when Lydia asked him about it and then, thinking about it later, he realized that Simon was actually the closest thing he had to a best friend these days. 

The truth is, there were so many years that Alec couldn't have even fathomed a wedding of his where Jace wasn't the one standing beside him, that it never even occurred to him to think of someone else. Even now, the memory twists sharply in Alec's gut.

"I like Simon," he defends to Magnus. When Magnus simply arches an eyebrow, Alec sighs and adds, "I didn't know who to ask, I guess. I mean, who would you ask?"

Something in Magnus's demeanor shifts slightly and Alec realizes he's said the wrong thing, though he doesn't know how.

"Sorry, that's none of my business," he backpedals without really understanding why. It was a perfectly innocent question, but Alec still feels the need to fix the sudden melancholy that seems to have settled on Magnus's shoulders.

"No, I'm sorry," Magnus tells him, attempting a smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes. "It's not you, darling, I just. My best friend was killed last year, and when you asked who would be my best man I- well. It just hit me that he wouldn't be there."

Alec's stomach drops. He opens his mouth to say something - though he has no idea what - but Magnus keeps talking.

"You know, I did ask him," Magnus says, eyes far away but his smile becoming more genuine. "I was engaged once, briefly. _Very_ briefly."

"What happened?" Alec asks.

"She cheated on me," he answers flatly, and Alec tries to resist the urge to bang his head on the table. He bites the inside of his cheek as if to physically prevent himself from shoving his foot any further into his mouth.

Magnus must see something of it in his face, because he laughs slightly and waves his hand in a forgiving gesture.

"It was years ago, I'm over it," he assures Alec. "But Ragnor - my friend - refused to be my best man on principle, even before Camille's lies were exposed. He loathed her. Should have been the first sign, honestly."

Alec's mind goes to Jace unbidden. He doesn't want to know what Jace would say about his wedding to Lydia. Nothing good, probably.

"Sounds like a good friend," Alec says aloud. Magnus grins.

"He was a terrible friend. But also the best," he says fondly. 

Alec smiles and gently goads Magnus into another story, which he seems to have a lot of, now that he's started. Alec wonders how long it's been since he's let himself talk about his friend.

He's just finishing a rather hilarious (and oddly endearing) tale about a time the two of them had been arrested in Peru, when Lydia finally reappears, looking sheepish and decidedly more weary than she had when she left.

"I'm sorry that took so long," she says, looking truly regretful, "and unfortunately, now I have to go back into the office. I apologize Magnus."

"Nonsense!" Magnus says, standing to clasp her hands. "I think this was a rousing success actually, but if you disagree, I promise you will not have a hard time persuading me to try additional bakeries."

Lydia laughs and Alec watches in fascination as some of the tension melts from her shoulders. 

"I can't imagine anything topping that red velvet," she says, eyes twinkling, "but I'm not opposed to being thorough."

Magnus grins and winks at her conspiratorially. Then he glances down towards Alec and Alec abruptly realizes he's still sitting down. He knocks his knees into the table in his hurry to stand, wincing slightly in both pain and embarrassment. Magnus looks concerned. Lydia confused.

"You okay?" Lydia asks. Alec nods tightly. 

"Well, I'll give you two a call later in the week when I hear back from the florist," Magnus says brightly, walking with them out towards the main door. "But feel free to reach out before then if you need anything."

"Thank you, Magnus," Lydia says. "This was lovely, as always. I'm sorry to cut it short."

Magnus just smiles, waving away her apology before clasping her hand one last time in parting.

"Alexander," he says, nodding. 

Alec manages to nod back before grabbing Lydia's hand and heading out onto the street. Another woman is entering the bakery as they're leaving and Alec manages to bang his elbow into the side of the door trying to make space for her. 

"Seriously, are you okay?" Lydia asks once they're outside. "I know you're not the most graceful creature, but you seem to be having a particularly hard time with coordination today."

"Ha ha," Alec deadpans, cradling his elbow. He tries to fight down the traitorous blush he feels rising. His stomach churns, but he doubts it’s from the cake he’s eaten.

Talking to Magnus had been so easy, and fun even. He'd clearly lived such an interesting life and had the stories to prove it. He was charming and sweet and loved fiercely, if his stories of Ragnor were anything to go by.

Having a crush on a beautiful man was one thing. Alec notices men all the time, but it doesn't mean anything. It's human nature. Harmless.

But this, this _thing_ with Magnus. Alec's worried it's starting to become more than that. He really likes Magnus. A lot.

"Hey," Lydia's voice gets softer, pulling him closer. "Did something happen while I was gone?"

Alec swallows. He thinks about how it felt swiping the frosting off Magnus's lip, the pad of his thumb brushing against Magnus’s mouth. He thinks about the way Magnus had taken several minutes to quote Ragnor's full tirade to the Peruvian police because he had been laughing so hard there were tears in his eyes.

"I don't know," he admits. Lydia's eyebrows furrow in concern.

"Look, I know Magnus isn't your favorite person-" she starts, but Alec cuts her off, his heart beating wildly.

"He ate the rest of your cake," he tells her, blurting out the first thing that pops into his head. 

Lydia blinks, and then promptly smacks him on the shoulder. Hard.

"I thought you were being serious!" she laughs, already tugging him away from the building and towards the waiting town car. "You had me worried for a second."

Alec laughs with her, but inside his stomach rolls again. He has himself worried, too.


	7. .interlude (camille)

Magnus doesn't leave the bakery right away after Lydia and Alec say their goodbyes. Instead, he sinks back down into the chair he'd just vacated and replays some of his conversation with Alec in his head.

He can't believe he talked to Alec about Ragnor. He hasn't talked to _anyone_ about Ragnor; he hasn't been able to bring himself to. He barely got out of bed those first few weeks and even now, almost nine months later, it still hits him unexpectedly hard - sometimes with grief, sometimes with anger. The anger is easier, in a way.

Well, not easier. Safer, maybe.

But with Alec, somehow he hadn't felt either of those things, not after the initial pang of Ragnor's unexpected presence in their conversation. He had laughed, even. Laughed! He hadn't realized how much he needed that.

Still, he doesn't know why it was Alec who was able to finally lessen that weight on his heart. Not Clary or Catarina - though Lord knows they'd both tried - but Alec, someone he'd known barely a month. His client.

His client who's about to get married.

Magnus sighs, dropping his head into his hands to rub his face tiredly. He knows he didn't imagine that moment earlier with the frosting, that was... _something_. He just doesn't know exactly what.

"Magnus, my love," a voice pulls him out of his thoughts, and Magnus feels dread creep up his spine in immediate recognition. "Two times in as many weeks, this must be a new record for us."

He tries to take a calming breath as he stands, but it doesn't do much good. Standing just behind the table is, of course, Camille. She looks as gorgeous as always, but her smile flashes dangerously.

"Camille," he greets her, aiming for something in the realm of 'cordial but busy,' "What are you doing here?"

"I introduced you to this place, don't you remember?" she replies easily. "It's been a bit of a day, to be honest. Thought I could use something _sweet_."

She eyes Magnus with interest and he swallows thickly.

"Well, it's lovely to see you, my dear," he tries without much conviction, "but I'm actually just on my way out, I'm afraid."

"That young couple I passed on my way in," she says, effectively ignoring his bid to leave, "tall, dark and handsome, and the girl with the gorgeous hair but atrocious fashion sense? They're your new clients, right? The ones you booked my auditorium for?"

"Lydia Branwell and Alec Lightwood," he tells her, resigning himself to the conversation.

"Lightwood," she repeats, her smile growing. "That sounds familiar."

"His family is in politics," Magnus says. It's an innocent conversation, by all accounts, but Magnus knows Camille well enough that his dread grows with every word.

"Ah, his father is a senator. New York, right?" Camille says as the recognition fully dawns. "And the senator's wife is a military big wig. A general or something?"

"Colonel," Magnus replies. "She works for the State department now, I believe."

Camille smirks. She takes a step towards him and Magnus fights the urge to flinch back.

"Careful with that one, Magnus," she murmurs. "I'm pretty sure the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy only applies if you don't get caught."

Magnus bristles.

"I'm not the cheater here, remember?" he hisses. "That's your move."

Camille's face falls so genuinely that Magnus almost believes he's hurt her feelings. _Almost_.

"Are you still upset with me?" she asks, eyes downcast but tone growing decidedly flirty. She's still much too close. "It's been years, my love. I can only apologize so much."

"You never apologized," he bites out, sidestepping her and taking a few steps towards the door to put some distance between them. He hates that she still calls him 'my love'. He hates that something inside of him still flutters in warmth every time she does.

"Of course I apologized, you just never wanted to hear it," she tells him, a slight annoyance creeping into her tone.

She sighs and holds up her hands in a placating gesture.

"Look, darling, I'm just trying to give you some friendly advice about the Lightwood boy," she says. "I saw you as they were leaving, and despite what you may think I do know you, Magnus. Probably better than anyone."

"You really don't," he says.

Camille smiles at that, the same dangerous smile she wore when their conversation began. It somehow makes her even more beautiful.

"You'll see," she says knowingly, stepping forward again to reach out to him before she seems to think better of it. "Things aren't always as black and white as you want to believe they are, Magnus. People don't always set out to hurt each other."

"But they do," he says softly.

"But they do," she agrees, shaking her head slightly before repeating her aborted gesture and reaching out to cup Magnus's face softly.

"I did love you," she says, and Magnus has to close his eyes against the twinge of longing he feels.

"Not as much as I loved you," he says finally, opening his eyes as Camille's hand falls away.

He can see the annoyance come back at his words, but there's a sadness there too. He just doesn't know if it's genuine. He never does.

"You never let me," she accuses, eyes downcast again. But it's too big of a lie, even for Camille. Magnus laughs out loud in his surprise, louder even than he means to, and just like that her spell is broken.

"Goodbye, Camille," he says.

The laughter is still fading from his voice, but he ignores the murderous look Camille gives him in return. He doesn't even bother to wait for her reply before he's spinning on his heel and walking out of the shop.

It takes a few blocks before the adrenaline starts to wear off and his brisk pace turns into more of a leisurely stroll, but the feeling of triumph remains. It's not often that he comes out of a run in with Camille feeling the victor. It's a good feeling.

Eventually though, her words about Alec filter through along with Magnus's own musings on his behavior. He can't ignore it anymore, he decides with a slightly sinking feeling. He and Alec need to have a conversation. Magnus meant what he said to Camille; he isn't a cheater, and whatever Alec has been thinking might happen, it won't. Not with him, at least.

He realizes that if he confronts Alec there's a good chance he'll be fired, but there's not much he can do about that. He tries not to think about what else he might lose, but it hits him before he can push it down.

If he confronts Alec, he'll also lose the budding friendship of someone who had managed to unlock not only his stories of Ragnor but also, if he's honest, something in him he hasn't felt in a really long time. It had been so easy at the bakery, talking to Alec. It had felt safe. Fun, even.

But Alec is marrying Lydia, and Magnus _was_ Lydia, once. He won't help Alec break her heart.

He thinks of Camille's beautiful, dangerous smile and his resolve hardens.

He won't.


	8. part four.

Magnus has a plan. It’s maybe not the best plan he’s ever had, he thinks as he stands on the sidewalk in front of Alec and Lydia’s building, but it’s something.

He shifts the linens he’s carrying slightly and reaches out to punch the right apartment number into the buttons on the call box. He waits while it rings for a few moments, before Alec’s voice answers with a tentative, “Hello?”

“Alexander, hi, it’s Magnus,” Magnus says into the speaker box. “I brought by some samples for the table dressings Lydia and I had been discussing.”

“Oh,” Alec's voice comes back after a pause. “Lydia’s not in actually, I- She has a standing congressional report on Wednesdays.”

“Of course she does,” Magnus says, pretending to have forgotten rather than having timed this outing for specifically that reason. He gives a self-deprecating chuckle for effect. “I’ve spent a good part of the day thinking it was Thursday. I must be anxious for the weekend.”

When Alec’s voice doesn’t come back over the intercom, Magnus frowns. 

“But since I’m here, perhaps I could leave them for her…?” he prompts.

“Right, sorry, of course!” Alec says, drowned out slightly by the grating sound of a mechanical buzzer. The door clicks loudly, presumably unlocking to allow him entry. “Come in, please.”

The intercom connection clicks off before Magnus can reply, so he simply moves to open the door and step inside. There doesn’t appear to be an elevator, so he instead begins to climb the stairs, shifting the linens in his arms again and feeling grateful that the apartment in question is only on the third floor.

When he arrives in front of Apartment 303, the door swings open before he can knock, revealing a more dressed down version of Alec than Magnus has seen before. He can’t help but notice how tired the other man looks.

“Magnus,” Alec greets him warmly, stepping aside to allow him entry. “I’m just sorry you had to come all the way out here.”

“My own fault,” Magnus says, waving away the apology as the door clicks closed behind them. He moves to set the linens down on the nearest table. “At least she’ll have them to look through when she gets back.”

He hovers awkwardly in the entryway and crosses his fingers behind his back.

“Stay for a drink, at least?” Alec asks, and Magnus has to bite down the urge to grin in triumph.

“Oh, I couldn’t,” he demurs instead. “I’m sure you’re in the middle of something.”

“No, please,” Alec insists, leading him further into the apartment – though, Magnus notes, there’s not much of it to begin with – “I could use the company, to be honest. I just had an… unpleasant conversation with my mother about the wedding.”

“Oh?” Magnus asks, genuinely intrigued.

“About the guest list, to be specific,” Alec supplies, now rooting around in the kitchen area and coming up with a half-full bottle of whiskey. He holds it out to Magnus as if in question.

Magnus nods in response, and Alec sets to pouring two glasses.

“Too big or too small for her tastes?” Magnus prompts and Alec sighs, handing him one of the glasses.

“Too big by a count of one,” he replies. “She hasn’t always liked some of my friends. One in particular, in this case.”

“Ah,” Magnus says, taking a sip of the whiskey. It’s aged and smooth – something expensive, he has no doubt. “And what did you tell her?”

“That it’s my wedding and I could invite whoever I damn well pleased,” Alec rants, then blushes, hanging his head slightly. “Or maybe that’s just what I wish I’d said. But I did tell her I wasn’t uninviting Luke.”

“Luke?” Magnus repeats, an open question in his tone.

“He’s a friend of mine, a cop actually,” Alec supplies. “He uh. He got me out of some trouble when I was a kid. Nothing big, just- trespassing, drinking underage, that kind of thing. But it would have been really bad for my dad’s campaign and Luke let us- He let me off with a warning. She should’ve been grateful, but that’s why she doesn’t like him – she still associates him with that whole… thing. But he’s a good guy. A really good guy.”

Recognition stirs in Magnus as he listens to Alec talk. In a city this size, he reasons there’s surely more than one police officer named Luke, but he still finds himself asking the question.

“Luke Garroway?”

Alec blinks in surprise.

“Yeah, actually,” he says, a smile breaking out at the unexpected coincidence. “You know Luke?”

“He’s Clary’s step-father,” Magnus says. Then, to clarify, “My assistant, Clary.”

“I knew Luke had a daughter named Clary, but I’d never met her before,” Alec replies with a laugh. He takes another pull of his drink, shaking his head slightly. “Small world.”

Magnus nods in agreement.

“Well, for what it’s worth, I’m firmly on your side with this one,” he offers. “Luke’s one of the best men I know.”

Alec grins.

“Great, I’m sure that’ll ease my mother’s concerns,” he replies facetiously, but without any malice. 

The conversation pauses for a moment as they both take a drink, and Magnus remembers with a jolt why he’s here in the first place. But now that he’s here, he finds himself stalling, not wanting to ruin their easy banter.

Alec moves to refill his own glass and Magnus catches a glimpse of another tattoo on his forearm, peeking out from under his rolled-up sleeves.

“Ah, another rune,” Magnus says, remembering their first conversation about Alec’s tattoos, and he sees Alec tense up just slightly, cheeks coloring. “Which one is this?”

“That’s the main one,” Alec tells him, an embarrassed smile tugging at his mouth. “It just represents the angelic heritage.”

“How many of these did your friend convince you to get?” Magnus asks playfully. “He sounds like a bad influence.”

“Maybe I was the bad influence,” Alec returns, but his tone is less playful and more… rueful. 

If there was ever a line that called out for flirtation, Magnus thinks, that was it. But Alec isn’t even looking at Magnus at all, really, he’s just staring down into his whiskey.

The realization hits Magnus unexpectedly, and he looks down at his own drink, suddenly queasy. He had been about to get himself fired, just because of… what exactly? A few awkward moments? A swipe of frosting?

“Magnus?” Alec asks, voice softened with concern. “Everything alright?”

_God_ , Magnus thinks, somewhat hysterically. _He’d imagined the whole thing, hadn’t he?_

“I’m fine,” Magnus replies easily, forcing a smile and trying not to think about what a fool he’d been for letting Camille get inside his head yet again. 

“I was just remembering,” he covers quickly, “that I hadn’t gotten the Mellon paperwork back from you and it needs to be submitted rather soon if we don’t want to risk losing the deposit. You don’t happen to have it, do you?”

“Oh, yeah, it’s–” Alec cuts off as he moves around Magnus over to the living space. He begins to dig through some papers cluttering the coffee table, before finally just sitting down on the couch to look through them more carefully.

After a moment, Magnus moves to sit down beside him.

“Sorry,” Alec says without looking up. “I know it’s in here somewhere.”

“Ha!” Alec says in triumph after a few more moments of searching. “Here it is.”

He turns towards Magnus with the paper he’s found, but seems to miscalculate how close Magnus is sitting. When he turns towards him, his face ends up a mere inches from Magnus’s own. From such a distance, it’s hard for Magnus to miss how red Alec’s cheeks grow at the realization of his mistake.

“Oh,” Alec says softly, the hint of a self-deprecating laugh in his voice. “Sorry.”

But he doesn’t move away. His gaze flicks down to Magnus’s lips and Magnus’s heart races.

Magnus means to pull back himself. He really does. But before he can do anything, Alec’s lips are closing in around his own and all rational thought leaves him.

For one blissful moment, it’s wonderful. Magnus practically melts into the sensation, lips falling open eagerly to Alec’s curious tongue. But as soon as Alec’s hand comes up to cup Magnus’s face, the paper he'd held crunches slightly, falling to the floor, and it’s as if the spell is broken by the sound. Magnus jerks back, standing abruptly.

“Oh my god,” Alec breathes out, still sitting on the couch. Magnus can’t even look at him, he’s so furious. “Magnus–”

“I can’t believe you!” Magnus says, finally turning back around, his voice low but heated. “You’re about to get married.”

“I-It’s not–” Alec can’t seem to find the words he’s looking for, instead staring up at Magnus like the proverbial deer in the headlights.

“I knew this would happen! I knew this would happen and I told myself I wouldn’t be any part of it,” Magnus continues, some of his anger turning inward slightly. His stomach rolls unpleasantly. “But you- you just…”

“Magnus–” Alec tries again, but Magnus cuts him off.

“Lydia is a lovely person,” he says. “Why she wants to marry you is anyone’s guess, but I’m not going to help you break her heart, do you understand me?”

“Yes,” Alec says softly. He at least has the decency to look miserable about it.

Magnus fumes silently for a moment, unsure of what to do from here. After a beat, he reaches down and grabs the discarded paperwork Alec had been retrieving before stalking off towards the door. He hears Alec call out to him, but he doesn’t look back.

\---

Alec slumps back into the couch as he listens to the door slam shut behind Magnus. He can’t believe he’d been so phenomenally stupid.

He’d just… Suddenly Magnus had been so close and Alec had just _wanted_. He doesn’t know if he’s ever wanted anything so badly in his life.

_Which is of course why it ended in disaster_ , he thinks miserably, rubbing at his face tiredly. He hadn’t thought the day could get any worse after that phone call with his mother, but he’d managed to prove himself wrong. 

He’s startled out of his spiraling thoughts by a few tentative taps on the door, soft but loud enough to break the sudden silence that’s fallen in the apartment. Alec’s heart beats wildly. 

_Magnus._

He can still fix this, Alec thinks as he quickly moves to the door. He can explain to Magnus that it was a mistake, that he hadn’t meant anything by it. He can still make it right.

Alec opens the door, apology already on his tongue, but he’s brought up short by the person on the other side.

Standing on his doorstep, looking sheepish but hopeful, isn’t Magnus at all.

It’s Jace.


	9. .interlude (jace)

“Well,” Jace says after a few moments of awkward silence, “you haven’t slammed the door in my face, so that’s a good sign, right?”

He brushes past him into the apartment and Alec is still too stunned to stop him, to do anything really. He just watches in bewilderment as Jace notices the whiskey bottle on the counter and pours himself a glass. Jace takes a swig, closes his eyes briefly and grins.

“That’s the good stuff,” he murmurs. 

Alec finally moves away from the door, letting it close behind him.

“What are you doing here?” he manages to ask gruffly. Jace rolls his eyes.

“You won’t take my calls so I figured if the mountain can’t come to Mohammed… Or however that saying goes,” Jace says with a shrug. Alec frowns.

“That’s not- I. I meant what are- why. Why are you here?” Alec tries to clarify but his thoughts are too jumbled to come out right.

“You’ve been ducking me for years, Alec, and now I hear from Izzy you’re getting _married_ and I don’t even warrant an invite?” Jace says, more bitterly than Alec expects. “Come on, man. Hasn’t it been long enough? I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry?” Alec repeats incredulously. He can’t seem to process anything that’s happening. He tries to review the sequence of events in his head but none of them make sense

He kissed Magnus. Magnus had stormed out. Jace showed up. He was in his apartment right now, drinking his whiskey like he had been there a hundred times. And he was… _sorry?_

“What, do you want me to grovel?” Jace asks. When Alec doesn’t respond, he sighs and takes another drink.

“Look man, I'm sorry for all the shit I said back then,” he says, voice heavy. “I was scared and I didn’t want to leave. It seemed easier to just be pissed off.”

“You had a right to be angry,” Alec says. His chest feels so tight he thinks his ribs might crack from the pressure. He tries to count his breaths inside his head but he keeps getting distracted. This isn’t how any of this was supposed to happen. Jace shouldn’t be here.

“Angry at Maryse, sure,” Jace says, spitting her name like a curse. But his sour expression at the thought of Alec’s mother only holds for a moment before it turns thoughtful. “But, you know, she may have done me a favor, in the end? California is pretty awesome, man. Being back in the city is so weird now – everything is so rushed and tense. People in California know how to relax.”

If anything, Alec feels his posture tense even further. He draws another tight breath. Jace seems to notice and he sighs again. He makes an aborted movement as if to reach out to Alec but then just drops his hand to his side.

“Listen Alec, I know it’s been a long time, but I still- I miss you, okay?” he admits softly, taking a small step toward Alec. “I mean, come on. We’re parabatai, remember?”

He grins at the inside joke and lifts the hem of his shirt slightly to show Alec the tattoo hidden low on his stomach. Alec subconsciously reaches down to trace its twin under the fabric of his own shirt.

After a moment, Jace drops his hem back down, his smile falling slightly.

“It’s been almost five years, dude. Are you really never going to forgive me?” he asks.

“Forgive you?” Alec says, the words bursting out of him in his surprise. “I ruined your life, Jace! I’m the one who- who-”

Alec loses steam, slumping down into one of the barstools at the counter. His heart is pounding.

“I thought I was supposed to be the dramatic one,” Jace murmurs, moving to take the other stool. He nudges his shoulder into Alec’s and for a moment it almost feels like it used to.

“Come on, you didn’t ruin my life,” Jace tells him. “I told you, California is awesome. Besides, it’s not like you told Maryse to transfer my dad. She’s just a bitch. She totally overreacted.”

When Alec doesn’t respond, Jace takes another drink and adds, “I mean, you know it wasn’t even about us getting arrested. It was just, you know. The other thing.”

Alec feels his cheeks flame and he drops his head further, avoiding Jace’s gaze. The ball of regret and shame rolls in his stomach, suddenly bigger than ever now that Jace is here in front of him. Now that he finally has to face it all again.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers.

“Dude,” Jace says forcefully, “it was just a kiss. You don’t have to be sorry. Hey.”

He shifts, nudging Alec’s shoulder to pull his focus back. Alec looks up reluctantly and is surprised by the genuine confusion and concern he sees.

“Is that...? Is that what this is about?” Jace asks softly, brow furrowed. “Is that why you’ve been avoiding me?”

Alec looks away again but he hears Jace let out a frustrated breath. 

“Is that what this wedding is?” Jace asks and Alec stands abruptly, angry.

“Don’t,” he says lowly. “You don’t know the first thing about me anymore.”

“Yeah, and whose fault is that?” Jace snaps, then quickly holds his hands out in a gesture of apology.

“Look, I’m not- I’m not trying to pick a fight with you, Alec,” he says. “But I do know you. And Lyds. And Maryse. I’m just saying… if you want someone to talk to, I’m here.”

Alec scrapes a hand over his face. He feels exhausted.

“I’m doing it all over again, Jace,” he says eventually, pacing a few steps before returning to his abandoned stool and dropping back onto it. “I’m screwing everything up.”

“What-” Jace starts to ask, but Alec cuts him off.

“I kissed him,” he admits miserably, dropping his head into his hands.

“Who?” Jace asks after a minute when Alec doesn’t elaborate.

“Magnus!” Alec says, looking up. When Jace still looks confused he adds, “the wedding planner.”

Of all the reactions Alec expects, Jace bursting out laughing isn’t one of them.

“It’s not funny!” he says.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, you’re right,” Jace says, but the laughter still in his voice betrays him. 

“I don’t know what to do,” Alec tells him. “Jace, I. I don’t want to ruin things again.”

Jace’s expression sobers. 

“What do you want?” he asks. Alec sighs.

“I want things to go back to normal.”

“No, what do you _want?_ ” Jace repeats. Alec thinks about the way it had felt to kiss Magnus. He thinks about how lonely he feels sometimes, even when he’s with Lydia. He thinks about the look on his mother’s face when she saw him kissing Jace all those years ago.

“I don’t know,” he admits softly.

“Listen man,” Jace says, leaning in earnestly as he starts to talk, “you and Lyds – sometimes Jon and I would joke you were the same person. We had a game of it even, trying to see what we could do to rile you up, see if we could get a reaction, but you were both so unshakable.”

Alec must pull a face at that description, because Jace laughs lightly and shakes his head.

“I’m not saying that like it’s a bad thing. You guys like order and stability and knowing what’s going to happen next. I get that. But we were dumb kids and I gotta admit it was pretty hilarious to have Jon’s voice in my head narrating Lyd’s reactions before the first word was even out of her mouth.”

“What is the point of this story?” Alec asks warily. “That Lydia and I are perfect for each other because we’re both so boring and predictable?”

“Dude no,” Jace says. He’s still smiling the same infuriating smile that makes Alec’s chest feel tight with nostalgia. 

“The point is that we stopped playing that game eventually. Do you know why?”

After a beat, Jace continues, “Because you fucking won, man. You did something so unexpected the game ended on the spot.”

“I kissed you,” Alec says, feeling a fresh wave of embarrassment well up in his throat.

“You kissed me,” Jace confirms, “and I was so… impressed.”

Alec sits back a little, the embarrassment melting into confusion.

“What?”

“Now coming here and finding out _that’s_ the reason you haven’t spoken to me in five years?” Jace’s smile finally fades into something more serious and he pauses to take another pull of whiskey.

“Look, you were right – it’s been a long time and maybe I don’t know you as well as I used to, okay? So I’m not gonna sit here and try to tell you what to do, just – if any part of you is doing this because you don’t think you can do anything else? You can.”

Jace grins again, cocky and carefree.

“‘Alec Lightwood,’ I’ve always said, ‘who knows what that crazy son of a bitch is gonna do next?’”

“Literally no one has ever or would ever say that about me,” Alec responds dryly, but he can also feel the corners of his mouth tilting up slightly, despite himself.

They sit in silence for a few moments, but the air between them somehow seems a little less heavy. Eventually it’s Alec who breaks the silence.

“Hey Jace?” he says, pausing for Jace to look up from his whiskey. “I’m glad you’re here. I guess the truth is that I uh- I could use a friend right about now.”

“Friend, brother, parabatai,” Jace pauses, a slow smirk starting to form, “best man? Whatever you need, I’m here.”

Alec laughs. 

“I asked Simon to be my best man,” he admits, and Jace clutches at his heart, miming a mortal wound.

“We’ll see about that,” he mutters darkly, but his eyes are twinkling. All at once, it’s as if no time has passed.

When Lydia comes home several hours later, they’ve finished the whiskey bottle and are currently ranking their least favorite high school teachers based on creativity of detentions and general flair for punishment. Jace stops mid-sentence halfway through a tirade about Ms. Pemberly as soon as he sees Lydia, jumping up from the couch and wrapping her in a bear hug before she can even fully process who he is.

As soon as she does, her whole face lights up. Even more so when she looks past him to Alec and realizes the significance of his being there. The three of them spend the rest of the night together, laughing and reminiscing. It’s like a perfect moment out of time, that Alec wishes he could keep forever. He can’t remember the last night he felt so at peace.

That is, of course, until he wakes up the next morning to one of the worst hangovers of his life and a sudden, crystal clear memory of Magnus slamming the door behind him.

_Shit_.

**Author's Note:**

> new parts to be posted ~~weekly~~ as often as i can ! in the meantime, come bug/prompt/harass me on [tumblr](https://ithilien-writes.tumblr.com/)!


End file.
